This invention relates to a water heating system or apparatus and more particularly to a solar water heating apparatus wherein water acts as a heat transferring medium.
The prior art has a plethora of patents and references which depict solar water heating systems of all different types and characteristics. As one can ascertain, such heaters are widely used throughout the world especially in areas that receive a great deal of sunshine. In the use of such heaters one can obtain a considerable savings in utility costs due to the fact that once the heater is installed the energy from the sun is used to heat the water thus eliminating the cost of fuel. As indicated many patents exist which show solar heaters of various sorts and types.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,388,940 entitled SOLAR HEATER issued to R. H. Taylor on Nov. 13, 1945. This patent shows a solar heater which has two compartments or chambers. In one chamber the water is subjected to the rays of the sun and when it becomes heated the water circulates through both compartments. After cooling, the direction of circulation changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,782 entitled SOLAR HEAT HOLDER issued on Oct. 26, 1976 to Herman Meier, Jr. This patent shows a solar heat holder for thin film heating of water in a tank. In this patent solar energy passes through a glass cover and is absorbed by a surface. The surface is in contact with a heat transfer fluid which fluid heats and gives up its heat to a fluid flowing through a heat exchanger. The patent shows a typical structural configuration which is of the type widely employed in solar heating systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,367 entitled STORAGE TYPE SOLAR WATER HEATER issued to I. V. Wikholm on Jan. 18, 1977. This patent again shows a solar water heater which has a unitary housing structure. The patent uses a siphon to control the flow of fluid between two compartments, one compartment having a smaller volume than the other compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,508 entitled CONTROLLABLE HEAT TRANSMISSION PANELS issued on Sept. 27, 1977 to B. S. Buckley. This patent describes a heat panel which uses temperature changes to control the flow of heat between two regions. A fluid is in thermal contact with both regions and varies its heat transfer in response to the temperature of one or both of the regions.
Other patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,290 entitled COBMINED SOLAR COLLECTOR AND ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM issued on Mar. 11, 1980 to R. N. Jensen and U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,701 entitled SOLAR COLLECTOR PANEL issued to B. S. Buckley on Mar. 31, 1981, depict various types of solar collectors which employ insulation panels in conjunction with other solar collecting structures. These panels provide mechanical means or others means to heat the water in a predetermined manner and therefore to attempt to achieve a more efficient operation.
In any event, in view of such apparatus and other apparatus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved solar water heater which employs a collector and storage tank integrated in a single container. It is still a further object to this invention to provide a simple and compact structure which is economical to manufacture and easy to install and operate. The structure to be described has distinct advantages over the prior art and is capable of high efficiency, with a relatively simple and economical structure.